This Monday (1 September) at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) meeting in Madrid, the link between dietary intake, leg muscle mass, and cardiovascular risk was discussed.

A study by Ningjing Qian et al investigated the impact between muscle mass and cardiovascular mortality, identifying some protective dietary factors which could promote muscle building and fat loss.

Over 5,000 patients from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data base were included in the study, with a median follow-up of 5.17 years. Total or regional muscle mass to body weight ratio (MWR) was calculated based on the results of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and body measurements. Dietary intake components were obtained from a 24-hour dietary recall interview.

A Cox proportional hazard analysis revealed that higher leg MWR reduced cardiovascular-cause mortality risk, and that higher dietary intake of magnesium, potassium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, and total folate were highly correlated with both higher leg muscle scores, decreased leg fat, and lower body mass index (BMI).

These findings demonstrate the importance of muscle mass for cardiovascular protection and metabolic health, and that dietary factors can help improve muscle scores.

In a market in which glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists are becoming more commonly prescribed, it is important to prevent muscle mass loss in patients losing weight. Implementing some easy dietary modifications can help improve GLP-1R agonists' efficacy and prevent muscle wasting as a side effect.

In conclusion, overweight and obese patients are highly likely to benefit from leg exercise and increased intake of these specific dietary elements in their daily diet to mitigate future mortality risk via muscle building and fat loss.